The Centre has approved over ₹2,000 crore in financial assistance to Himachal Pradesh for recovery and reconstruction work after landslides and cloudbursts caused widespread damage across the state during the 2023 monsoon.
The decision was taken by a high-level committee chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The committee, which includes the finance minister, agriculture minister and vice chairperson of NITI Aayog, cleared the proposal under the Recovery and Reconstruction funding window of the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
Out of the total assistance, ₹1,504.80 crore will be provided as the central share from the NDRF. This is in addition to the ₹633.73 crore that was approved earlier by the Ministry of Home Affairs on December 12, 2023, as part of the initial response to the disaster.
“The Government of India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, remains committed to supporting states in times of natural disasters,” the Home Ministry said in a statement.
Besides Himachal Pradesh, the Centre has also cleared recovery packages for other states. Uttarakhand received ₹1,658.17 crore in the wake of the Joshimath land subsidence, while ₹555.27 crore was sanctioned for Sikkim after a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) last year.
In addition to recovery funds, the Centre has approved mitigation projects worth ₹7,253.51 crore aimed at tackling a range of hazards. These include ₹3,075.65 crore for urban flood management, ₹1,000 crore for landslides, ₹150 crore for GLOFs, ₹818.92 crore for forest fires, ₹186.78 crore for lightning, and ₹2,022.16 crore for drought mitigation.
According to government data, in the current financial year (2024–25), ₹20,264.40 crore has been released to 28 states under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), and ₹5,160.76 crore has been disbursed to 19 states under the NDRF.
Additionally, ₹4,984.25 crore from the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) and ₹719.72 crore from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) have been released to various states.
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